Dec 11, "The Duchess"

by K Warn
(NY)

I moved into an apartment by myself this year and decided I wanted to get some sort of pet just not a dog. I almost got a parakeet but I like 'the Duchess' much better. I had told my friends and family I wanted a pet when someone told me they found a litter of 10 week old kitten in their backyard and I could have one.

I took the Duchess home and did a little research. She was actually around four weeks old and had fleas all over her. I gave her a bathed her everyday and picked off the fleas until they were all gone.

My research told me my little kitty wasn't old enough for traditional flea treatment. After a vet check and a clean bill of health (thanks to my free de-flea job prior to visiting the vet ;)she was all set to be happy in my home.

But - she wasn't. The little girl was terrified of everything. At first I accounted it to her being feral but, I now believe she was just so young and I didn't know that until a few weeks after. After about a month of intensely hard taming she became friendly and comfortable with me. But when visitors would come and she would dart under the couch for the entire time they stayed. I continued my research intent on bonding with my cat and making this work.

I figured out that she is some kind of mix of an egyptian mau (maybe a domestic short hair because she is white with tabby spots.)Although I've read the mau is rare, the more I read about the breed the more I conclude she is. She has little dots in her tabby spots. I noticed from day one that they were not striped like all other tabbies I've seen. When I first got her she had blue eyes and with in 2 to 3 weeks she developed amber eyes but she still has a blue-green ring between her pupil and her amber color.

Like a egytian mau she is also very shy when I began reading this and about the cats loyalty to their owner I was thrilled! So optimistic that with time my kitty would love me which is all I wanted. Now almost 2 months after I first got 'the Duchess' she is my best friend.

She sleeps with me from midnight until when ever I wake up and for a college student that could be any where from 8 or 12 am. But 'the Duchess' has slept until 2 in the afternoon with me as long as I feed her her breakfast in the morning. If I don't go to sleep with her by 1 am though, she will be passed out in bed waiting for me. She is also super playful and I love how although it seems like she's trying to hurt me when she play fights she's really not.

I've had enough dogs to know puppies control their bites when they play-fight with you but they won't bite as hard as they can. I've noticed 'the Duchess' controls her bites too when shes wrestling my hand and I'm giving her tummy tickles.

At first I was worried 'the Duchess' was feral and shy because she didn't like it in my apartment with me. Then I found out that's just the kind of cat she is and thats ok. She makes it perfectly obvious to me that she wouldn't want to be any where else. And that's why I know I chose the right cat.

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